Sigismtjnd m



(No Model.) S. M. MIGHELSON.

TRUNK STAY. I No. 311,439. r Patented Jan. 2'7, 1885.

UNllTlED S'rrrrns a rnrvr @rrren.

SIGISMUND M. MlCI-IELSON, OF MILWAUKEE, XVISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONEI-IALF TO GEORGE SYLVESTER, OF SAME PLACE.

TRUNK-:STAY.

SPECEFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,!39, dated January 27,1885.

Application filed June 5, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SiersMUND llLMIOHEL- soN, of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunk-Top Supports; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to trunk-top supports; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construetion, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one form of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified construction. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 2, and showing broken outlines of the trunk and top. Fig. 4 is a sectional view representing on an enlarged scale the construction of the parts below the curved dotted line m as of Fig. 1, looking down from above said line a: at its entire distance. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the construction of the part below the curved dotted line 3 y in Figs. 2 and 3, the said lines being represented in Figs. 4 and 5 as straight lines on a plane surface. Fig. 6 is another modification, and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 2 z of Fig. 3.

The principal object of my presentinvention is to prevent a trunk-top from falling forward or prematurely closing, while at the same time it is prevented from falling back beyond a defined limit; and to that end it consists, primarily, of two corner-pieces, A and B, hinged. together at the back, and a spring or flexible guide, 0, with retaining devices, as hereinafter set forth.

In Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings I have shown the part A as the lower corner-piece, or the one adapted to be secured to the upper rear corner of the trunk T, and the part B as the upper corner-piece, or the one adapted to be secured to the lower rear corner of the trunktop t; but this is immaterial, as the part B could be applied to the t-runk,and the part A to the trunk-top, if desired, as shown in Fig. 6, and the device would work just as well in this inverted position as in the position shown in the other figures of the drawings; and,fur' ther, it is a matter of choice whether one only of my present devices be applied to a trunk, or whether two beused-one at each upper rear corner of the trunk and corresponding lower rear corner of the trunktop. The general shape of the corner-pieces A and B is immaterial; but a desirable form is illustrated in the drawings, where a convenient style of hinging the two parts together is also shown, one part having the slots a and beaded edge a, and the other part the hinges b, projecting through said slots and curving around said edge. The guide 0 is, as described, flexible, and is preierably made of springsteehthough I do not limit myself to the material, and one end of this guide is fixed by a rivet, c, or othbeing set within an offset, a, so that the inner surface of said guide may be flush with the inner surface of the said corncr-piece. The said guide is curved in the are of a circle to accommodate the sweep of the trunktop in opening, and has a hook, c, at the free end. A curved slot, D, is formed either in the guide 0, as shown in Fig. 1, or else in the de pressed or offset portion D of the part B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and a lug or pin, D, adapted to fit within said slot D, is formed either on the part B, as shown in Fig. 1, or else on the guide 0, as shown in Figs.2 and 3. The said part B is further provided with a detent or catch, 12, to engage with the hook c of the guide and prevent the trunk-top from falling back beyond the desired limit.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 2 and 3 there is a hole, d, formed in the part B, in the line of the arc of which the slot D forms a part between said slot and the edge of the plate B, and this hole is designed to receive the pin D when the top of the trunkis thrown fully back, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus prevent the top from falling forward. This pin is beveled, as best shown in Fig. 5, on its upper surface, which bevel enables the pin to ride out of the slot D in the part B over the solid portion, and then by the force of the springslide O to snap into place in the hole (I, as in Fig. 5. Similarly the lug D (shown in Fig. 1) is beveled to permit the solid part of the spring-guide O to ride over it, and then the top of the trunk is kept from prematurely closing by the engagement of the outer edge,

'erwise to one of the corner-pieces, preferably 0 ,013 the free end of the guide C with the said lug, as best shown in Fig. 4..

In Fig. 6 still another modification is shown. In this form I still have the depressed or offset portion D in the part B, (which is here shown adapted to be secured to the trunk instead of to the top;) bntI have no curved slot D either in the guide 0 or in the corner-piece, and the beveled lug or pin D is placed close to one edge of the offset D in radial line with the detent b, so that when in opening the top the hook c of the guide slides over the said beveled lug it will snap to place between it and the detent b. The edge e of the free end of the guide 0 bears against the lug D exactly as in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4:, and prevents the top from accidentally closing. Vhen it is desired to close the top, (with any form of my device,) it is only necessary to press inward on the guide 0 near its outer end, and as the said guide is of flexible and elastic material it will instantly yield and permit the trunk-top to be closed, while the same features of flexibility and elasticity render it no obstruction to opening the trunk, because the guide 0 readily yields and rides over the beveled lug, as hereinbefore described.

Under some circumstances I may wish to use my spring-guide 0 independently of the corner-pieces described, and in such case I need only attach a plate similar to the side of the part B which contains the curved depression or offset D, &c., inside of the trunk, and then secure the end of the spring.

guide 0 to the inner end of the trunk-top, (or vice versa,) to accomplish the desired result; but in the majority of cases I prefer to employ the described corner-pieces in connection with my guide, especially as the said cornerpieces give an attractive ornamental finish to the trunks whereon they are placed.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the slot D as open v or unprotected; but under some circumstances it may be desirable to have the said slot protected or covered, to exclude dirt and other for- 4 5 eign substances which might interfere with the working of the device, and hence in Fig. 3 I have covered this slot with a housing, D", (better shown in section in the detail view, Fig. 7,) which housing in no way interferes with the action of the pin D, but rather serves to protect it by excluding dust, &c., as stated. It may happen, further, that sometimes it will be desirable to only partially raise the top of the trunk, and in order to keep it stationary at such partial elevation anotherw pin or lug D may be supplied, as indicated in dotted lines and by dotted reference-letter D in Fig. 6. In fact, any number of these lugs or pins may be used, the same being all in the line of travel of the guide 0, so as to sustain the top at any elevation desired, and in the form of device shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the several pins would of course all be upon the guide G,while in the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 6 they would be upon the part B.

While my improved devices are especially adapted for use in connection with trunks, it is obvious thatthey may be applied to any style of box or case having a hinged top or lidsuch as chests, show-cases, &c.without departing from the. spirit'of my invention.

Having thus described myinventiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the hinged corner-irons A B, lug D, detent b, and curved flexible and elastic metallic guide 0, having catch 0, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 80 have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wiscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

SIGISMUN D M. MIOHELSON.

WVit-nesses:

H. G. UNnERwoon, H. J. FORSYTHE. 

